By Cecil Plaatjies (CTII / SGI), a personal perspective on G20IF20 (Interfaith Forum) that was held on 11 to 14 August 2025 at the Westin Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.

It was a well run event, professionally done by the organisers and those behind the scenes.

I had the opportunity to give a short talk and offer a Buddhist prayer in the opening ceremony.

The event consisted out of two types of meeting. Firstly, the main plenary, a large meeting with all the guests, in the format of speeches, lectures, talks or panel discussions. There were also breakout sessions with smaller groups, where there was more opportunity for discussion.

The first two days we were mostly spoken at. There were conversations between the organisers and guests, including our own James Ellman, about the lack of interaction between speakers and guests.

Here comes trouble: Theo, James and Cecil en route to the conference.

It does seem that they listened, because I found the last two days a lot more interactive.

Packing 33 000 good parcels in under 2 hours on 12 August 2025 was a highlight of the event. The food parcels packed can feed up to 140 000 people.

That same evening we had supper in the Gold Restaurant. An exclusive eating place. The food was superb. The guests had a great time. The live entertainment with the Marimba band and dancers was the best.

It is important to celebrate life and our victories in interfaith. The evening was also an opportunity for guests to meet socially.

But food security is a topic on the G20IF agenda. Against that backdrop I feel that the visit to this particular restaurant was perhaps too extravagant.

Sit ann jou doek: Cecil and James on the food production line

My criticisms of the G20IF are:

  1. The complete silence about Gaza. A few speakers and audience members spoke out, but they were not engaged with by the organisers or other members of the audience.
  2. Silence about LGBTQIA+ and religion.
  3. An unequal ratio of male and female participants, favouring males, on the panels.
  4. The youth had a day to themselves. There was limited youth participation in the main events during the week. They are moving in the right direction, but we need more youth represented at all levels.
  5. I would have loved to see African spirituality in its many forms represented. The theme was Ubuntu in action, but the very belief systems, that underpin this philosophy, was absent.

There was also no acknowledgement of the indigenous people of South Africa at the beginning of the event. I included some acknowledgement of the people and the land in my talk during the opening ceremony.

The event was a great opportunity to network. It was also a chance to do daily activities together with our interfaith colleagues and friends. Interfaith is a marginal activity in the religious world. It was also wonderful to be together with so many others who take interfaith seriously.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience to me.

Published by Cecil Plaatjies